ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The St. Bonaventure men's basketball team will host Saint Joseph's on Wednesday (Feb. 18) at the Reilly Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised live on the YES Network and will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
BUDDY BUCKETS
Buddy Simmons II has emerged as an elite scoring option in conference play, averaging 17.7 points through 12 conference games while shooting 47.9 percent (78-for-163) from the floor and 46.8 percent (36-for-77) from beyond the arc.
 
Simmons II has scored at least 14 points in two thirds (8-of-12) of his A-10 matchups, with 20-or-more points in five of those games.
 
The Detroit native ranks second in the conference with 66 three-pointers made on the season. He has made multiple three-pointers in each of his last seven games, and in 20 of the Bonnies' 25 total games.
 
In conference play, Simmons II has made 36 triples, tied for third most in the A-10. His 37.8 minutes per game lead the league, and he has played a full 40 minutes in seven of SBU's 12 conference game so far.
 
Simmons II surpassed 1,000 career points in the Bonnies' win at Fordham (Feb. 7). He reached the millennium mark with five points in the first half before surging for 18 in the second half to lead the Bonnies to the win.
 
Simmons II scored 628 points over two years at Gardner-Webb before posting 390 through 24 games this season. He tallied 539 of his 628 points with the Runnin' Bulldogs during his sophomore season (2024-25). 
 
TO BE FRANK
St. Bonaventure forward Frank Mitchell has been one of the most productive players on the boards in the country this season. 
 
Mitchell is averaging 9.8 rebounds per game, which leads all players in the Atlantic 10 conference. As of Monday (Feb. 16), he is tied for 16th in the nation in rebounds per game. He is one of just two St. Bonaventure players in the last four years to surpass 200 total rebounds in a season (Chance Moore, 207; 2024-25).
 
A remarkable number of Mitchell's rebounds have come on the offensive end. His 106 total offensive rebounds (4.24 per game) rank in the top five in Division I.
 
Mitchell has tallied double-digit offensive rebounds two games this season, with a season-best 11 against Colgate (Dec. 10) and 10 vs. Ohio (Dec. 13).
 
Mitchell is no stranger to the top of the national rebounding leaderboards. In 2023-24 with Canisius, he averaged 11.6 rebounds per game, the fourth-most in Division I.
 
In the scoring column, Mitchell has scored in double figures in 21 of 25 games this season. He has scored 20-or-more points in eight of those games.
 
On Saturday against Duquesne (Feb. 14), Mitchell tallied his Atlantic-10-leading 13th double-double of the season with 20 points and 13 rebounds. He has nearly twice as many double-doubles as the next leading players in the conference (Rafael Castro, GW & Rikus Schulte, Fordham; 7).
 
COUNT ON CAYDEN
Cayden Charles has been pivotal to the Bonnies' offense in conference play. The 6-foot-3 guard is averaging 14.2 points and 6.4 rebounds in St. Bonaventure's 12 Atlantic 10 games.
 
Charles had a remarkable game in St. Bonaventure's last win at Fordham (Feb. 7), scoring a season-best 21 points in the win. He tallied six rebounds while shooting 8-for-13 from the floor. The senior made a career-best-tying three triples.
 
The senior has scored at least nine points in 16 straight games, grabbing at least five rebounds in 14 games during that span.
 
BLOCK PARTY
Freshman Andrew Osasuyi had a career day against Fordham. He posted career-bests in minutes (29), points (12) and steals (4) while tying his career high of five blocks.
 
He became the first Atlantic 10 player in nearly 17 years to record at least 10 points, five blocks and four steals in a conference game. He was just the fourth player to do so in the last 30 years, joining UMass' Tony Gaffney (Feb. 18, 2009) as well as David West (Jan. 9, 2002) and James Posey (Feb. 14, 1999) of Xavier. Coach Mark Schmidt was on the staff at Xavier as an assistant coach during both Posey and West's careers.
 
Osasuyi is averaging an incredibly efficient 5.2 blocks per 40 minutes. His 1.7 blocks per game in conference play rank fifth in the Atlantic 10. Osasuyi has 14 blocks in his last six games (2.3 per game).
 
Osasuyi (34 blocks) and Grahovac (43 blocks) are the only pair of St. Bonaventure teammates to post 30-or-more blocks in the same season during Mark Schmidt's tenure (2007-present).
 
BOWEN IS BACK
After missing the Bonnies' last game against Fordham due to injury, redshirt junior point guard Dasonte Bowen returned to action against Duquesne with 18 points on 5-for-8 shooting. He went 8-for-8 from the free throw line, the most free throws in a game without a miss by any SBU player this season.
 
Bowen has now reached double figures in each of his last five games, averaging 16.4 points per game during that span. He has been incredibly efficient, shooting 62.5 percent (30-for-48) from the floor.
 
SAINT JOSEPH'S NOTES:

• The Hawks are 15-10 on the season, with a 7-5 record in Atlantic 10 play.
• Jaiden Glover Tuscano leads the Hawks in scoring with 15.6 points per game.
• SJU point guard Derek Simpson averages 13.1 points and 4.7 assists per game. He has been named A-10 Player of the Week twice this season.
• Saint Joseph's won the first matchup of the season between the two schools, 68-64. Frank Mitchell scored 22 points, 20 of which came in the first half.
• Mark Schmidt is 19-10 in his career against St. Joseph's.